The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
April 18, 2011 - 3B
ROAR
From Page 4B
It wasn't Kim's first time at
Augusta - he had visited three
times earlier in the year to get a
feel for the course - but it was a
first of many other things.
"It was my first time playing in
front of a real crowd," Kim said
after the practice round. "But I
wasn't nervous at all, partially
because I was with my good
buddy (Johnson)."
Johnson and Kim spent the
practice round working mainly
around the greens - testing the
speeds, analyzing the breaks,
and getting a feel for golf's fierc-
est greens.
"I was very pleased that a guy
of his caliber still keeps up with
a friend like me and just tries to
catch up on me," Kim said. "That
just shows his character - nice,
genuine."
Added Johnson: "We had a
great time. He's matured a lot,
and his golf game is really good."
Masters Monday was his first
real taste of golf's brightest spot-
light, but Kim was certainly not
alone in his quest to handle his
new-found recognition.
ONE OF MANY
traditions at Augusta National
is to have the amateurs stay at
"the Crow's Nest" - a dorm-like
room at the top of the infamous
clubhouse.
Jack Nicklaus and Tiger
Woods both stayed there as ama-
teurs, and the tradition oozes out
of every standard piece of furni-
ture in the room.
But Lion Kim politely declined
the offer to stay at the Nest - his
family was with him for the week,
and he wanted to spend as much
time as he could with them.
And while most players
arrived to Augusta in private jets
or in the comfort of first class
seating, Kim decided to drive
down with the people he called
his "lucky charms" - his par-
ents, Yong and Hyun.
"It's gonna mean a lot," Kim
said the week before the Masters
about being at the tournament
with his parents. "I'm going to
have a great support system, and
it's just going to give me some
confidence and definitely make
me feel comfortable out there."
But it wasn't the first time
his parents served as a calming
influence in Kim's young golfing
career.
Hyun was in Greensboro with
her son during the US Amateur
Public Links, following him on
every hole. And when he needed
some reassurance the most -
during the seven-hour rain delay
in the final round to qualify for
the Masters - Hyun was there
for him.
"I have to give all the credit to
my mom," Kim said after his vic-
tory. "We talked a lot. She kept
me relaxed. We talked about
everything, even from my child-
hood days. Literally everything
that we could talk about we talk-
ed about in those seven hours."
With his family by his side,
Lion Kim was ready to embrace
the spotlight.
HE WAS HITTING
balls on the range on Masters
Tuesday as he was approached
by a man with dark hair spilling
out of his PING visor.
"Oh, are you Lion Kim? I
signed up to play with you (in the
par-3 contest)," the man said.
It was Kim's favorite play-
er - Bubba Watson, the lefty
from Bagdad, Fla. known for his
booming drives and playful per-
sonality.
The rising star and two-time
PGA Tour Champion introduced
himself as if Kim wouldn't even
know who he was.
"That was pretty amazing,"
Kim said the day before the par-3
contest. "We're going to have
a blast. He's obviously a great
young stud out here, so I'm going
to learn a lot from him as well."
The next day, Watson and
Kim, along with three-time PGA
Tour Champion Aaron Baddeley,
played in the contest together.
Kim finished the contest even
- five strokes back from the
winner Luke Donald - but com-
peting in the par-3 contest was
about much more than just scor-
ing well. In fact, historically it
has been a curse to win the con-
test, as the winner almost always
goes on to do poorly in the actual
tournament.
"It was great," Kim said after
the round. "Bubba and Aaron
were great sports, and we had a
lot of fun just staying loose and
not taking it too seriously."
While the mood remained
light throughout the contest, it
became more serious as the sun
set and the lights dimmed one
final time before the opening
round of the 2011 Masters. Kim
was slated in the 12:31 tee time
with Olazabal and Love III the
next day.
AFTER THE PERFECT
opening to his Masters debut on
Thursday, the bright southern
sun beganto shine even brighter
on Kim - and he began to show
signs of his youth.
The high of his first-hole birdie
had faded - quickly.
Bogey onthe fourth hole. Bogey
on the sixth. Bogey on the par-5
eighth.
A birdie on the ninth provided a
brief respite, but it was followed by
another bogey on the 10th.
And then, the round-killer: dou-
ble bogey on the 11th - the first
hole of Amen Corner.
Kim hita nice drive but yanked
his second shot left into the pond
that lines the leftside of the green.
And even he knew at that point
things were beginning to unravel.
"The second shot, I was not
committed," Kim said. "All week,
I'd been hitting a draw, and obvi-
ously I had to cut that shota little
bit. And I came right over it."
But then Kim began to show
signs of life. Par on the 12th and
birdie on the 13th - the final hole
of Amen Corner.
He finished the round at 4-over
(76), and even after the flurry of
bogeys, he was still within strik-
ing distance of the weekend.
On Friday, he came out ready
to face the bright lights like a sea-
soned veteran.
Six pars, two birdies and a
bogey en route to a front nine
score of 35 (1-under) and 3-over
overall - suddenly, he was right
back in the hunt to make the cut.
"I knew if I shot under par on
the back, I would have a good
chance of playing through the
weekend," Kim said after the
round. "I had a number in mind."
He parred all three holes of
Amen Corner, hitting solid shot
after solid shot and knocking
down five-to-10 footers with
ease.
He remained solid on holes
No. 13 through 17, parring each
hole and hanging around the
cut line at 3-over. As he walked
up to the 18th tee, Kim knew he
had one last chance to extend his
dream to the weekend.
LION KIM STOOD
on the 18th green on Masters Fri-
day, studying a nearly impossible
35-foot putt for birdie from just
off the green.
He knew he was hovering
around the cut line, and in order
to have any chance to make the
cut, he'd have to sink the bomb.
"That putt is one we practiced
all the time," his caddy Laurence
said.
It was a putt that would have
to make the shape of a horseshoe
before making it to the hole -
the type of putt that drives any-
body nuts at the putt-putt course.
After minutes of deliberating,
Kim let the putt loose, aiming a
solid twenty feet away from the
hole in order to give the ball a
chance to work off the slope and
back toward the hole.
The ball hit the peak of the
horseshoe and looked as though
it were about to come back down
the slope - but it hung up in the
fringe, refusing to budge and
stopping nearly 25 feet away
from the hole.
"If that putt comes off, it
comes right to the hole," Lau-
rence said. "We knew it, and I
just wanted to make sure he got
it there. It wasn't way too much
CHRIS O'MEARA/AP
Senior Lion Kim had a fighting chance to make the cut at the Masters.
hard, itjust wouldn't come off."
Instead, he was left with a
25-footer for par - a putt not
much easier than his original look
at birdie.
He missed the par putt and
tapped in for bogey for a two-day
score of 148 (4-over).
He took off his visor and shook
hands with Olazabal and Love III.
It was over. -Lion Kim had
missed the cut.
KIM TRIED TO
remain positive in his post-round
interviews.
After all, he did still score bet-
ter than nine former Masters
Champions and both his play-
ing partners, Olazabal and Love
III, and he was just a 21-year-old
amateur.
"Competing as an amateur, it
doesn't get any better," Kim said.
"I scored better than I did yes-
terday, but I'm still disappointed
with the way I finished there ...
But overall, it was a great week.
I can not complain about any-
thing."
As fans gathered around him,
Kim walkedback to the clubhouse
to share a meal with his family.
And then, he went back to work.
He walked back to the range,
hitting shot after shot, thinking n
about what he could do differently
next time.
Maybe next time, he won't hit
his second shot left on the 11th.
Maybe next time, he'lbe the Tour
pro in the picture with the starry-
eyed fan. Maybe next time, they'll
be able to pronounce his name cor-
rectly at the first tee.
Maybe next time, he'll have that
same putt on the 18th, and he'll
know the break just a little better.
And maybe next time, he'll drain
it.
As darkness overcame the hal-
lowed grounds of Augusta Nation-
al that Sunday, the sun set on the
2011 Masters.
But for Lion Kim, the sun has
just begun to rise.
MATTISON
From Page 1
The confidence the defense has
played with this spring has been
fueled by their ability to grasp
Mattison's defensive schemes in a
matter of three weeks.
And they have their fun out
there, too. Martin said they'll
throw in some dummy-words
and fake calls to spice it up - only
they know who's coming, which
makes it hard on the opposing
quarterback.
"The zone blitzes are awesome
too - there's going to be times
I drop out and Mike's going to
come in, (and) Will (Campbell)
might slant outside," Van Bergen
said. "The thing coach Mattison
goes with is unpredictability.,You
don't know where we're going to
be, so that way you can't plan for
it. I think that's going to be suc-
cessful."
The battle between the offense
and defense this spring ended
with the defense, perhaps, get-
ting the upper hand. Besides Rob-
inson's one long run, he didn't
torch the first team defense.
And though sophomore
quarterback Devin Gardner
did throw a touchdown pass to
junior Je'Ron Stokes late, he also
threw two interceptions - one
to spring-game standout Carvin
Johnson and the other to red-
shirt freshman linebacker Jake
Ryan, who returned the pick for a
touchdown.
What Hoke and Mattison
remembered wasn't the multiple
sacks the defense registered or
the interceptions - it was the
68-yard touchdown run Mike
Cox broke against the second-
team defense and the long run by
Robinson.
"The one thing I didn't like was
big plays, especially with the first
unit or any unit," Mattison said,
who adding he usually saves his
analysis for after he watches the
film. "Our unit can't be what we
want to be if we allow them to get
big chunks."
The zero points by the first-
team offense and the 14 points
scored by the second-team
offense wasa" positive ,-Matti-
son is OK with bending, just not
breaking.
"We've tried to make abigthing
about, as long as we have a place
to stand, as long as that ball isn't
across that endzone, then we're
still a good defense," Mattison
said. "And we've really worked on
that. And I think they're starting
to buy it and believe that. I think
I heard one of them say that out
there in that situation."
Multiple defensive players
used the word fun to describe
what they were doing under Mat-
tison.
The defense's own coach
would taunt Robinson, saying
he couldn't throw the football
throughout the-spring. Robinson:
would make a play and smile back'
at Mattison.
His defense had more success
than one might expect consider-
ing the unit finished close to last
in Division Iin total defense.
"Our offense has really, really
tested us and beaten us during
the spring at times," Mattison
said. "It's helped us that they are
going to be a physical, power-
type offense, and as well as being
able to get Denard to do what he
does.
"And that really makes it hard
on a defense when you can't just
say this is a spread team and OK,
'We're going to run this defense.
Then all of a sudden you're going
against a power team."
The estimated Spring Game
crowd of about 27,000 people
included 1997 Heisman trophy
winner Charles Woodson, who
expressed his pleasure with the
return of a defensive emphasis.
It's starting with Mattison's
NFL-like blitz packages.
When Martin was asked
whether he and his fellow defend-
ers were pickingup all of the com-
plicated schemes and calls, he
was confident they were already
comfortable.
"I think the offense needs to
try and pick it up better," Martin
said with a chuckle.
JOHNSON
From Page 1B
nation. And all spring, the talk
of how to improve the defensive
backfield has focused on who
hasn't been on the field rather
than who has. Redshirt junior
J.T. Floyd and fifth-year senior
Troy Woolfolk both sat out the
spring game, still recovering
from ankle injuries.
Johnson was on the field and
could be a bigger part of the fix.
Michigan coach Brady Hoke said
earlier in the week Johnson had
taken a leadership role on the
COXf
From Page 1B
footrace with the secondary - a
68-yard sprint for the game's first
touchdown.
"I thought he had a really good
day today," Hoke said of Cox. "I
thought his patience was pretty
good, and I thought he hit the
hole pretty well a couple times."
Hoke, an admittedly defensive-
minded head coach, is keeping a
close eye on the backs. Cox is in
a five-man battle for the start-
ing spot at tailback in the fall and
thinks the new-look offense plays
to his strengths in the backfield.
"When I came in, I committed
to coach Carr, and I committed
to this type of system," Cox said.
"I'm definitely happy to be back in
the system that I came here for."
Instead of the predominately
shotgun formations that the
offense worked under for the past
three years, it's a pro-style look
with multiple running backs. And
back end as one of the more vocal
players.
It may be a comfort issue -
Johnson is returning to the posi-
tion he played in high school
after playing spur linebacker last
season. He played with the first-
team defense Saturday alongside
sophomore Courtney Avery, red-
shirt junior Jordan Kovacs and
redshirt senior Tony Anderson,
but he hasn't solidified a starting
spot.
With Kovacs, sophomore
Marvin Robinson and Thomas
Gordon vying for playing time,
the battle should continue well
into fall practice.
For now, Johnson led a sec-
ondary that had a couple of turn-
overs but also gave up a couple
big plays - a long pass and a
68-yard run - that led to the
offense's two touchdowns.
"That safety has got to be the
guy to get them down," Mattison
said. "They have to get the guy
down if he breaks through the
that line of scrimmage. I'm going
to say there's a play or two there
where the safety wasn't where
he's supposed to be."
The secondary as a whole
came ready to play. Anderson
broke up a fade route to redshirt
junior Roy Roundtree on the
opening drive. Johnson made
his negated interception the next
drive.
Saturday was the first step
for a secondary still on the
mend from getting beaten all
of 2010 and still adjusting to
the new defensive scheme that
Hoke and Mattison are putting
in place.
"It's about being more
aggressive, that's all it's about,"
Johnson said. "(Secondary
coach Curt) Mallory talks to us
about it every day, 'Stop playing
so tentative and just go at it.'
Because if we sit back on wide
receivers, they make moves on
us and we're done." the secondary's spring game,
And judging by Johnson's and both are far from done.
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from 5-foot-6, 180-pound junior
Vincent Smith to 6-foot, 227-
pound sophomore Stephen Hop-
kins, Hoke wants the backs ready
to play multiple roles.
"They want all of us to learn
both tailback and fullback, so
everybody's doing that," Cox said.
"They want everybody to have an
all-around game, so you can't play
if you can't block or can't run.
"I think I'm an all-around
player. I'm big, I'm fast, I'm quick
and I just want to find my role and
help the team out."
Last season, Michigan's
offense was driven by dynamic,
highlight-reel runs from sopho-
more quarterback Denard Rob-
inson. Robinson opened the game
by cutting across the field for a
gain of 55 yards. That was no sur-
prise - people knew he could do
that.
But the offense expects to be
more multi-dimensional this time
around.
Michigan offensive coordina-
tor Al Borges admitted the spring
4
game featured the running backs
for a reason, but "in the real
world" Robinson will remain a
focal point in the running game.
"We're making a transforma-
tion here, and you don't learn
about this transformation by
quarterback running every play,"
Borges said. "We did a few nice
things in terms of moving the
line of scrimmage on a few power
plays, so we made some headway
that way, but we're still a little
rough around the edges."
After the final whistle, Jackson
kneeled with the running backs
- a group of eight players - at
the 35-yard line while Robinson
jogged into the tunnel to the big-
gest cheers of the day.
In four months, with the
resurgence of Michigan's heyday
power backfield, the backs in the
huddle at the 35-yard line could
play as crucial a role as the speedy
quarterback.
"I feel like the old Michigan is
coming back," Cox said, walking
off the field with a smile.
BOTTERMAN
From Page 1B
say that we're going to miss her
next year is really an under-
statement. She's a very special
athlete, and more importantly a
very special person."
While many would assume an
athlete with Botterman's abil-
ity and love for her sport would
have aspirations to compete at
the next level, this will actually
be her final year of competi-
tion. Instead she is focused on
graduation and on her wedding
to former Michigan hockey star
Chad Kolarik. The Wolverine
power couple has finally set the
date - August 5. Botterman has
become a name synonymous
with many words, but she has
always been a woman of very
few. She summed up the end of
her career in one sentence.
"The ride has been fun, but
bittersweet now that it's done,"
Botterman said.